Côtes de Provence Wines: A Brief
Guide
By Dr Edward Fitzgerald
Historically specialising in generous rosé wines, this beautiful and
expansive region is slowly turning its hand to producing some great vin de gard reds and refreshing, high
quality whites.
Although
the region is blessed with a long viticultural history, it is only in the past
two or three decades that rosé, both a commercial blessing and a curse in
Provence, has
been regularly surpassed by other wines, spurred on by outside
investment.
The
vineyards in Provence run from west to east over around 200
km, from the Alpilles as far as the Estérel range. This vast and diverse wine growing
region spans 3
departemental areas: the Var, the Bouches-du-Rhône and a small portion of the
Alpes Maritimes.
The wine
region consists of five main zones in which three ‘terroirs’ have been
identified and allowed to append their own locality name to the “Côtes de
Provence” title:
● Côtes de Provence Fréjus
o
Exposed to a maritime influence
o
Rainfall is among the highest of the appellation
o
Sunny
days is average for the zone (2800-2900 hours per year
o
Three
specific types of soils:
● Côtes de Provence La Londe
● Côtes de Provence
Sainte-Victoire
o
The
climate has a slight continental influence
o
poor
and shallow soils, made of limestone and clayey sandstone
Overall,
the five main zones are as follows:
●
La Bordure Maritime (Mediterranean coast)
o
Côtes de
Provence Fréjus AOC
o
Côtes de
Provence La Londe AOC
●
La Vallée Intérieure (the inland
valley)
●
Les Collines Calcaires du Haut Pays (chalky inland
hills)
●
Le Bassin du Beausset (the chalky Beausset
basin)
●
La Montagne Sainte Victoire (the Sainte-Victoire
mountain)
o
Côtes de
Provence Sainte-Victoire AOC
The
recognition of INAO recognised sub-zones will likely continues beyond
Fréjus, La Londe and Sainte-Victoire in the years ahead, driven by a
very pro-active local Maison des Vins (Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de
Provence).
Brief
History of Provencal Wines
Wine
production is widely cited to have begun some 2,600 years ago when the
Phoenicians founded Marseille. Certainly by the time of Roman occupation in the
second century BC, wine production was well established.
Similar
to other regions of France,
after the fall of the Roman empire wine
production did not thrive again until the middle ages with the foundation of
monastic orders. In the case of Provence,
the abbeys of Saint-Victor in Marseille, Saint-Honorat on the Lérins
islands off the coast of Cannes, Saint-Pons in Nice and Thoronet
produced wine that spread the reputation of Provencal
wine.
Phylloxera vastatrix arrived in Provence in 1880 and decimated wine
production. The loss was far greater than the initial vineyard demise, as
growers re-grafted lesser but more productive grape varieties, to the detriment
of the regions wines for many decades after.
Provence Geology
● Key
point: variable over such a large area
In
western and northern areas vineyards consist of alternating hills and limestone
ranges eaten away by erosion.
In the
east, facing the sea, are the crystalline ranges of the Maures and the
Tanneron
Vegetable
formations typical of the Mediterranean
correspond to the two limestone and crystalline geological structures:
'garrigue' on limestone soil and 'maquis' where it is more
crystalline.
The soil
is generally shallow and poor – good for vines!
Provence
Weather
Annual
sunshine totalling between 2,700 and 2,900 hours
Rainfall can be violent in Provence in autumn and in
spring
Summers
are dry and hot
Mistral
dry wind protects vines from diseases associated with
humidity
Key Facts
and Figures
Côtes de Provence
AOC
AOC awarded 1977 (VDQS
1951)
23 estates awarded cru
classé in 1955 (the only INAO recognised cru
classé outside of Bordeaux)
Surface area: 49,400
acres (20,500 hectares)
Production: 130 million
bottles (900,000 hl) Including 87% rosé, 10% red and 3%
white
Producers:
380 private cellars, 38
co-operative wine cellars, 72 wine merchants
Maximum authorized yield:
55hl/hectare (50hl/ha for “dénomination de terroir”)
Average yield: 47 hl/hectare
Côtes de
Provence Sainte-Victoire
AOC
awarded 5
October 2005
Recommended Producers
Hugh
Johnson’s recommended producers:
·
Castel
Roubine
·
Commanderie de Peyrassol *
·
Domiaine
Bernarde
·
Domaine
de la Courtade
·
Léoube
·
Gavoty
·
Château
de Selle (Domaine Ott owned and managed) *
·
Clos
Mireille (also Domaine Ott owned and managed)
·
Des
Planes
·
Rabiéga
*
·
Richeaume
·
Rimauresq
*
* Starred
wines are those I have personal experience of and vouch for their quality,
particularly those from Domaine Ott’s Château de Selle and
Rimauresq.
Further
Information
Vins de
Provence comprehensive website:
La Maison
des Vins
Côtes de Provence
Route Nationale 7
Côtes de Provence
Route Nationale 7
83460 Les
Arcs-sur-Agens
Tél. : 04 94 99 50 20
E-mail : contact@caveaucp.fr
Tél. : 04 94 99 50 20
E-mail : contact@caveaucp.fr
Website :
www.caveaucp
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